Associate Director, Curatorial

Kids for the Future; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

MOPOP in Seattle seeks Associate Director, Curatorial to provide day-to-day leadership of Curatorial Department and help deliver the museum's exhibition program. The role leads major exhibitions, mentors staff, and ensures scholarly and interpretive standards.

Reporting to Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer, you will collaborate across departments, manage budgets, oversee curatorial assignments, and drive long-range planning while advancing MOPOP's storytelling priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support MOPOP exhibitions (on-site and traveling) from concept through post-opening operations
• Collaborate with Curatorial, Exhibition Design + Planning, Collections, Exhibition Fabrication, Video, Marketing, Advancement, Facilities, and other teams throughout exhibition development processes
• Lead or contribute to interpretive framing and storytelling, aesthetic direction, graphic approach, exhibition layout, interactive strategy, and media integration
• Develop exhibition content across various mediums including themes, concept materials, presentations, didactic text, digital interpretation, media narratives, and visitor-facing experiences within exhibition spaces and digital platforms
• Manage or contribute to exhibition-related budgeting, vendor coordination, contract review, and traveling exhibition planning
• Support long-range exhibition planning and institutional curatorial initiatives in collaboration with the Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer
• Collaborate with Curatorial, Collections, Exhibition Design + Planning, and Exhibition Fabrication teams on the exhibition calendar, including long-term exhibition rotations, gallery refreshes, annual initiatives, and artifact swap planning
• Support exhibition installation, deinstallation, gallery continuity, and post-opening stewardship efforts as needed
• Conduct oral history interviews and support institutional storytelling initiatives related to exhibitions and collections
• Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Curatorial Department, translating institutional and exhibition priorities into clear departmental goals, workplans, and expectations.
• Directly supervise Curators and additional Curatorial staff, including coaching, performance management, goal setting, mentorship, workload management, and professional development.
• Oversee allocation of curatorial assignments and exhibition leadership opportunities, balancing organizational priorities, staff capacity, development opportunities, and equitable distribution of work.
• Establish and maintain effective departmental workflows, communication practices, documentation, and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure consistent standards for curatorial scholarship, interpretive quality, accessibility, storytelling, and visitor experience across the exhibition portfolio.
• Foster an inclusive, accountable, collaborative, and intellectually rigorous departmental culture.
• Partner with the Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer on departmental planning, staffing, resource needs, and long-range curatorial priorities.
• Represent Curatorial in cross-functional planning and strengthen partnerships with Curatorial, Exhibition Design + Planning, Collections, Exhibition Fabrication, Video, Marketing, Advancement, Facilities, and other teams.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with artists, scholars, lenders, donors, community partners, and peer institutions in support of exhibitions and institutional priorities

Job description

• Location 120 6TH AVE N STE 100,Seattle, WA, 98109-5002,United States

Job Title: Associate Director, Curatorial

Reports to: Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer

Department: Curatorial

Work Schedule: 40 hours per week, 5 days per week, hybrid work eligible. This role requires some weekends and evenings to support MOPOP events.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer, the Associate Director, Curatorial provides day-to-day leadership of MOPOP’s Curatorial Department and plays a key role in developing and delivering the museum’s exhibition program. The position leads major exhibitions and institutional initiatives while overseeing curatorial staff, departmental workflows, interpretive quality, scholarship, and cross-functional collaboration.

Serving as both a senior working curator and departmental leader, the Associate Director balances direct exhibition ownership with people leadership, mentorship, long-range planning, and stewardship of consistent curatorial and interpretive standards across MOPOP’s exhibition portfolio. Working within the strategic direction established by the Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer, this role ensures the Curatorial team has the clarity, resources, collaboration, and leadership necessary to successfully deliver the museum’s exhibition and storytelling priorities.

Essential Job Duties (other duties as assigned)

Exhibition Development

• Lead and support MOPOP exhibitions (on-site and traveling) from concept through post-opening operations
• Collaborate with Curatorial, Exhibition Design + Planning, Collections, Exhibition Fabrication, , Video, Marketing, Advancement, Facilities, and other teams throughout exhibition development processes
• Lead or contribute to interpretive framing and storytelling, aesthetic direction, graphic approach, exhibition layout, interactive strategy, and media integration
• Develop exhibition content across various mediums including themes, concept materials, presentations, didactic text, digital interpretation, media narratives, and visitor-facing experiences within exhibition spaces and digital platforms
• Manage or contribute to exhibition-related budgeting, vendor coordination, contract review, and traveling exhibition planning
• Support long-range exhibition planning and institutional curatorial initiatives in collaboration with the Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer
• Collaborate with Curatorial, Collections, Exhibition Design + Planning, and Exhibition Fabrication teams on the exhibition calendar, including long-term exhibition rotations, gallery refreshes, annual initiatives, and artifact swap planning
• Support exhibition installation, deinstallation, gallery continuity, and post-opening stewardship efforts as needed
• Conduct oral history interviews and support institutional storytelling initiatives related to exhibitions and collections
• Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Curatorial Department, translating institutional and exhibition priorities into clear departmental goals, workplans, and expectations.
• Directly supervise Curators and additional Curatorial staff, including coaching, performance management, goal setting, mentorship, workload management, and professional development.
• Oversee allocation of curatorial assignments and exhibition leadership opportunities, balancing organizational priorities, staff capacity, development opportunities, and equitable distribution of work.
• Establish and maintain effective departmental workflows, communication practices, documentation, and knowledge sharing.
• Ensure consistent standards for curatorial scholarship, interpretive quality, accessibility, storytelling, and visitor experience across the exhibition portfolio.
• Foster an inclusive, accountable, collaborative, and intellectually rigorous departmental culture.
• Partner with the Chief Collections + Exhibitions Officer on departmental planning, staffing, resource needs, and long-range curatorial priorities.
• Represent Curatorial in cross-functional planning and strengthen partnerships with Curatorial, Exhibition Design + Planning, Collections, Exhibition Fabrication, , Video, Marketing, Advancement, Facilities, and other teams.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with artists, scholars, lenders, donors, community partners, and peer institutions in support of exhibitions and institutional priorities

MOPOP Community

• Support our internal culture which inspires and empowers our staff to live our mission to its highest standards.
• Contribute to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
• Work to ensure customer service is ingrained at the core of the team and is reflected outward to our guests